MORE support is being offered to communities in Cinderford with the town having been identified as being one of the most deprived areas in the country.

Gloucestershire County Council is inviting “a wide range” of community groups and organisations in the town to apply for a share of a £1.5 million “Levelling Up” fund, after government statistics revealed the town is one of ten areas in the county to fall into the bottom 10 per cent nationally.

The council has launched the ‘Levelling Up Together’ grant scheme to support those communities - the other nine of which are in Gloucester and Cheltenham - to deliver initiatives “that will be most effective for them and their area.”

The council says it wants to see improved opportunities, wellbeing, skills and employability for children and adults as a result of the funding.

Cllr Nick Housden, cabinet member responsible for levelling up, said: “I don’t want anyone to be held back from opportunities as a result of where they live.

“Unfortunately, that is the case for some areas in our county.

“People living in these areas are full of potential, talent, and enthusiasm - they just need to be given the same opportunities as others.

“We are looking for creative ideas to boost these communities from the people who know them best. So, whether you need funding to upgrade a community building or support to launch a new club, please apply.

“Levelling up is about the communities driving what they really need and us supporting this work in any way we can, not the county council telling communities what to do.

“I cannot wait to see the exciting and brilliant schemes to come from this funding and really start to level up Gloucestershire.’’

Meanwhile, figures for health inequality in the county have revealed that men raised in the ten most deprived areas are dying almost nine years sooner than those from more affluent parts of Gloucestershire.

The report says a boy raised today in the least deprived area of the county can expect to live on average 8.7 years longer than a boy raised in the most deprived area, and a girl 6.5 years longer.

Siobhan Farmer, director of public health for Gloucestershire County Council, says she hopes the Levelling Up Together scheme will help combat those statistics.

“I am pleased to support this scheme designed to start tackling health inequalities in our county”, she said.

“We need bids to show how they will help achieve at least one of the five missions we’re focussing on from Government in its Levelling Up Paper, which are fundamentally about improving life for those living in areas across the country that have been left behind.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government combine a number of indicators to measure areas of deprivation, including income, employment, education, health, crime, housing and environment.

in addition to the ten most deprived areas, Gloucestershire has a total of 31 areas which fall into the bottom 20 per cent nationally.

The county council is set to host two online ‘drop-in’ sessions in which groups and organisations can discuss their applications for the fund - today (Wednesday) at 12-1pm and next Tuesday (November 1) from 1-2pm.

Those looking to join either session should email [email protected].